Absolute DC is a juggernaut bestriding the comic industry and we’re all in its shadow. DC is creaming Marvel for the first time in years because of it and readers are getting some of the best comics ever. Absolute Batman, Absolute Wonder Woman, Absolute Superman, Absolute Martian Manhunter, Absolute Flash, and Absolute Green Lantern have been bringing in readers like nothing else, all-new versions of the greatest heroes in comics. They have all the momentum in the world; every time it seems like things are going to slow down, they pick up again. The tail end of 2025 saw an Absolute Green Arrow book launched and this week we get our hands on it. It was more than worth the wait.
Videos by ComicBook.com
The book is preceded by Absolute Evil #1, which introduced – and killed – Absolute Oliver Queen. With that one change, DC has given readers an all-new look at the Emerald Archer from Pornsak Pichetshote and Rafael Albuquerque. Absolute Green Arrow #1 was billed as a horror comic and after reading the first issue, I can say it fits that bill, as much for how much realism Pichetshote injects into the book as for the action.
Rating: 5 out of 5
| Pros | Cons |
| Pichetshote hits the bullseye, using real world issues to create an amazing new Green Arrow | |
| Albuquerque brings his usual excellence to the story, capturing the emotion and the bloody action perfectly | |
| Absolute DC strikes again, facing its mirror at the 1% and using ideas ripped from the headlines to inform this amazing issue |
Absolute Green Arrow Is an Absolute Thrill Ride
Fans have been looking forward to this book since it was announced. The Absolute Universe is a world ruled by Darkseid, so evil always wins, but the creators have basically just made it like the real world. Pichetshote goes into overdrive with that in this comic, using the actual crimes of the 1% to inform a story of seeming vengeance from beyond the grave. This Green Arrow is hunting down the wealthy men that get away with everything, and there’s a certain poetic justice to reading this book in 2026.
Absolute Black Canary was a focus of attention when she was announced for the book, and she serves as the main character. Dinah Lance is working as a bodyguard, trying to pay for her father’s medical bills, and is an outstanding character to focus on. The mystery of Green Arrow is central to the book, so they can’t be the focus. Giving us this new Dinah as the main character was an outstanding idea and Pichetshote is able to make her feel like one of us – a person working too hard for not enough money, as the rich get richer and the world falls apart. This book is a vibe and it’s bloody immaculate. Pichetshote combines horror and class conscious storytelling with aplomb; in a lot of ways, this is DC’s answer to the overtly leftist The Ultimates and it does an outstanding job of establishing this corner of the world.
Albuquerque’s Art Hits the Target
Rafael Albuquerque first came to prominence on American Vampire, so him returning to DC horror is definitely a cause for celebration. He was most recently working on Superman Unlimited, but his pencils fit here even better than there. This book is a combination of brutal violence and often times heart-rending storytelling. It needs an artist who can excel at both and Albuquerque is exactly the artist for it. He and colorist Marcelo Maiolo work together like two artists with one brain, the pencils setting the stage perfectly, while the colors take it all home, nailing the tone of every scene.
One of my favorite scenes in the book comes after Black Canary first turns down a new job with Hector Hammond and the mogul does something terrible to her (I won’t spoil it) with such glee, abusing his powers over others casually. Albuquerque and Maiolo capture the monstrousness of this action perfectly, and the scene is paid off later in Green Arrow’s second attack, with the art team threading the needle with a perfect moment of schaudenfraude that Pichetshote sets up for them from earlier in the book. This was the art this story needed and that’s higher praise than it seems.
Absolute Green Arrow #1 is the perfect example of what an Absolute book can be. This book’s preorders hit over a million dollars and three hundred thousand copies on vibes alone and it honestly deserves every penny of that money. It seems like every new Absolute book becomes my favorite, but this one feels like it’s going to be one of the ones that will always be at the top of my list. I live for comics like this, a perfectly told story that says as much about the real world as it does its fictional universe.
Absolute Green Arrow #1 is on sale now.
What do you think? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
Most Viewed
-
Image Courtesy of Netflix -
Image courtesy of Netflix -
Image Courtesy of Crunchyroll
